Russian MPs seek enhanced engagement with Bangladesh

Sun Online Desk
30th May, 2017 02:27:09

United Russia Party deputies have sought enhanced engagement with lawmakers of Awami League saying the two ruling parties contain identical values and ideological backgrounds, according to a statement of Bangladesh embassy in Moscow.

It said the Russian ruling party deputies suggested enhanced parliamentary interactions with Bangladesh and particularly with Awami League lawmakers as members of Bangladesh's parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs led by its chairperson Dr Dipu Moni joined a meeting with them at St Petersburg late yesterday.

"Both the ruling parties of Bangladesh and Russian Federation hold similar ideologies on such matters as democracy, secularism, equal respect for all religions and harmonious coexistence," the statement quoted United Russian Party's Petersburg branch chair Alexander Teterdinko as saying at the meeting at grand Mariinsky Palace there.

It said Teterdinko and his colleagues warmly received the Bangladesh delegation while the Russian deputies of State Duma particularly urged for exchange of youth members of the two parties for sharing knowledge and information.

Teterdinko also stressed on exchange of business delegations in view of remarkable progress of trade by six folds during the recent years.

"Through the historic visits of our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Russia in 1972 and 2013 respectively the relations between our two countries have been strengthened," the statement quoted Moni as saying.

She said contemporary Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina's visionary leadership set out a development model that also earned a global recognition including that of the UN system.

Moni said the existing opportunities and possibilities of further development of trade and cooperation in the areas of education, culture and science should be explored by both sides.